The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-01-29
Temperance Talk.

On Friday evening of last week
Miss Frances e. Willard, President
of the Woman's National Christian
Temperance Union, delivered a lee
ture on temperance, in the College
Oratory. The large room was crowd
ed, not a vacant seat was to be seen
Many of our good country folks,
from far and near, were present
Several local officers of the Temper
anrc Union occupied seats upon the
stage. Miss Willard is II pleasant
looking woman, about middle age
with wavy brown hair She spoke
in a clear. pleasant voice, which was
distinctly heard throughout the Ora
tory. She made many happy illu-
sions. and drew telling illustrations,
she said.
"We never know how much good
may come from Temperance meet
ing. More usually comes than most
people think. 1t was small tenn
perance meeting Mt Worcester, Mass,
concerning which there was not
paragraph in the next mornings
paper, that gave to the world one of
its greatest temperance advocates.
The poor besotted bookbinder that
went to it half in jest was no other
than John B. Cough, who lived to
speak of temperance to eight million
persons. A backwoods temperance
speaker unknown to fame, Uncle
John Berry, once spoke in n
rude hut to a lot of uncouth young
men in one of the first settlements in
Illinois, more than forty years ago.
He was a man of perhaps very little
eloquence or ability, but his words
had the effect of inducing one young
man to sign the pledge, and Abraham
Lincoln lived to see nearly every one
of his companions at the meeting
ruined by drink. Fifty years ago
no respectable life insurance COM
pany would insure a man who did
not drink. Now the total abstainer
commands from seven to fourteen
per cent. premium. The companies
found that while the average life of
the moderate drinker was 35I years,
that of the total abstainer was 81
years.
"The w. c. T. U. has been the
means of securing temperance legis-
ton in twenty States, and the Ma
tional Congress has passed a law
providing for instruction on the sub
-ject of intemperace in the schools of
the territories and in the national
academies Science has come around
to our side and says it is injurious to
use alcoholic stimulants. Fifty years
ago a minister preached sermon
against temperance. He took this
line of argument: The Lord made
whiskey. If he made it, it must have
been good and designed for use; and
he must have intended man to use
it, as no other animal in creation
would use it, To-day the pulpit is
almost unanimously on our side"
The latter part of her address was
explanatory Of the white-cross move
ment among men in favor ofpersonal
purity. She urged very strongly the
merits of the movement. The pledge
which the members were required to
take was as follows
l promise by the help of God to
treat all women with respect, and
endeavor to protect them from
wrong and degradation; to endeavor
to put down all indecent language
and coarse jests; to maintain the
law of purity as equally binding
upon men and women; to endeav-
er to spread these principles among
my companions, and to try and
help my younger brothers; to use
every possible means to fulfill the
command: keep thyself pure"
Miss Willard was the guest of DIR.
Caldwell. She left on Saturday
morning for Wilmington, where she
delivered an address in the Opera
House ON Sabbath afternoon.
Pure blood is absolutely necessary in
order to enjoy perfect health. Hoods
Sarsaparilla puriiies the blood and
strengthens the system.